Dynamically configured extraction, preprocessing, and publishing of a region of interest that is a subset of streaming video data

ABSTRACT

A method of preprocessing incoming video data of at least one region of interest from a camera collecting video data having a first field of view is disclosed herein that includes receiving the incoming video data from the camera; preprocessing the incoming video data, by a computer processor, according to preprocessing parameters defined within a runtime configuration file, with the preprocessing including formatting the incoming video data to create first video data of a first region of interest with a second field of view that is less than the first field of view; and publishing the first video data of the first region of interest to an endpoint to allow access by a first subscriber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation U.S. application Ser. No. 17/564,664,filed Dec. 29, 2021, and entitled “DYNAMICALLY CONFIGURED EXTRACTION,PREPROCESSING, AND PUBLISHING OF A REGION OF INTEREST THAT IS A SUBSETOF STREAMING VIDEO DATA,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The disclosure relates generally to processing of video data and, morespecifically, to the selection/extraction, preprocessing/processing, andpublishing of video data of a region of interest (i.e., a scene) that isa subset of an entire field of view of streaming video.

BACKGROUND

Cameras are beneficial for use in all areas of commercial and personalpractice. For example, security cameras are used within (and outside)commercial warehouses and on private personal property. Otherapplications use cameras along assembly lines for quality controlpurposes. With the increases capabilities of cameras having higherquality imagery (i.e., resolution) and a wider field of view, more areacan be shown in the streaming video by the camera. A large portion ofthe frame/field of view may be of no interest to the consumer (e.g., asecurity or manufacturing company). However, current practices relay theentirety of the streaming video (i.e., the entire frame/field of view)to the consumer, which can be time and resource consuming due to theneed to transfer large frame (i.e., field of view), high resolutionvideo data.

SUMMARY

A system and method for selection/extraction, preprocessing, andpublishing of video data of a region of interest (i.e., a scene) that isa subset of a field of view of streaming video is disclosed herein. Thesystem and method can also include processing the video data by aconsumer/subscriber after the video data has been published.

Streaming video data is received from a camera with a first field ofview. The video data is then preprocessed, by a computer processor suchas a gateway or digital/virtual container, according to preprocessingparameters defined within a runtime configuration file that is pusheddown to the computer processor. The runtime configuration file can bestored and/or edited distant from the computer processor, and anyedits/revisions to the runtime configuration file can be pushed to andapplied by the computer processor to the streaming video data in realtime to alter the preprocessing applied to the video data. Thepreprocessing can include formatting/cropping the streaming video datareceived from the camera to create first video data of a first region ofinterest (i.e., a scene) having a second field of view that is less than(shows less area than) the first field of view shown by the entirety ofthe streaming video data from the camera. The preprocessing as definedby the preprocessing parameters in the runtime configuration file canalso include altering the video data's grayscale, contrast, brightness,color threshold, size, blur, hue saturation value (HSV), sharpen,erosion, dilation, Laplacian image processing, Sobel image processing,pyramid up, and pyramid down (among others). The video data/frame canthen be published to an endpoint (such as a topic on an asynchronousmessaging library like ZeroMQ) for subscription and use by a firstsubscriber/consumer.

The first video data can then be viewed, used, and/or processed by thefirst subscriber. The preprocessing as defined in the runtimeconfiguration file can be tailored to the subscriber and the needs/usesof the subscriber and the processing to be performed by the subscriber.For example, the processing performed by the subscriber after publishingof the first video data/frame may be using an artificial intelligence(AI) model to analyze scenarios occurring on/in the first videodata/frame. The AI model may require the first video data/frame to be ina particular size, format, etc., which can be selected and appliedduring the preprocessing as set out in the runtime configuration file sothat the subscriber does not need to perform this preprocessing beforeapplying the AI model. The processing, by a computer processor, of thefirst video data by the subscriber can be performed distant from thecamera, the location at which the runtime configuration file is storedand/or edited, and the gateway/container upon which the preprocessing isperformed. The first subscriber can perform the processing of the videodata to determine at least one output with the output being indicativeof an inference dependent on the first video data. For example, thefirst video data can be processed by an AI model to determine the amountof a particular product that has passed by on an assembly line (i.e.,the amount of the product being an inference dependent on the firstvideo data). The processing can include other operations, such asapplying optical character recognition, clipping the first video data tomake a video having a specific duration, and/or capturing one frame fromthe first video data to create a static image of a specific moment ofthe first video data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic of the scene selection and preprocessing system.

FIG. 2 is a schematic of the runtime configuration file.

FIG. 3 is a schematic of a gateway/container along with the inputs andoutputs of the gateway/container.

FIG. 4 is a display of the scene preprocessing performance metrics.

FIG. 5 is a schematic of potential processing by a first subscriber.

While the above-identified figures set forth one or more embodiments ofthe present disclosure, other embodiments are also contemplated, asnoted in the discussion. In all cases, this disclosure presents theinvention by way of representation and not limitation. It should beunderstood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can bedevised by those skilled in the art, which fall within the scope andspirit of the principles of the invention. The figures may not be drawnto scale, and applications and embodiments of the present invention mayinclude features and components not specifically shown in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a schematic of system 10 for selection/extraction,preprocessing, and publishing to subscribers of video data of a regionof interest (i.e., a scene) that is a subset of a first field of view ofthe streaming video. System 10 can include camera 12, configuration file14, gateway/container 16, and publishing location/endpoint 18. Camera 12can include streaming video data 20 having entire frame 22 with a firstfield of view. Scenes 24A, 24B, and 24C (i.e., individual regions ofinterest) can be selected/extracted from entire frame 22 each having asecond field of view, a third field of view, and a fourth field of view,respectively, that are less than the first field of view of entire frame22. Camera 12 collects streaming video data 20 and transfers/sendsstreaming video data 20 to gateway/container 16. Gateway/container 16preprocesses streaming video data 20 according to preprocessingparameters defined in configuration file 14 and publishes (i.e., allowsaccess/makes available) the preprocessed video data as first video data21A (for scene 24A), second video data 21B (for scene 24B), and thirdvideo data 21C (for scene 24C) to publishing location/endpoint 18.Subscribers 26A-26D can subscribe to video data 21A-21A of each scene24A-24C located at endpoint 18 to access each scene 24A-24C.

Scene 24A (i.e., a first region of interest) includes first video data21A, scene 24B (i.e., a second region of interest) includes second videodata 21B, and scene 24C (i.e., a third region of interest) includesthird video data 21C that are each dependent upon streaming video data20. In one example, first video data 21A forming scene 24A (i.e., afirst region of interest) has a second field of view that is less thanthe first field of view comprising entire frame 22 shown by camera 12(as streaming video data 20).

System 10 can include machine-readable storage media. In some examples,a machine-readable storage medium can include a non-transitory medium.The term “non-transitory” can indicate that the storage medium is notembodied in a carrier wave or a propagated signal. In certain examples,a non-transitory storage medium can store data that can, over time,change (e.g., in RAM or cache). In some examples, storage media can beentirely or in part a temporary memory, meaning that a primary purposestorage media is not long-term storage. Storage media, in some examples,is described as volatile memory, meaning that the memory, does notmaintain stored contents when power to system 10 (or the component(s)where storage media are located) is turned off. Examples of volatilememories can include random access memories (RAM), dynamic random-accessmemories (DRAM), static random-access memories (SRAM), and other formsof volatile memories. In some examples, storage media can also includeone or more machine-readable storage media. Storage media can beconfigured to store larger amounts of information than volatile memory.Storage media can further be configured for long-term storage ofinformation. In some examples, storage media include non-volatilestorage elements. Examples of such non-volatile storage elements caninclude magnetic hard discs, optical discs, flash memories and otherforms of solid-state memory, or forms of electrically programmablememories (EPROM) or electrically erasable and programmable (EEPROM)memories. Most generally, storage media is machine-readable data storagecapable of housing stored data from a stored data archive.

System 10 can also include one or multiple computer/data processors. Ingeneral, the computer/data processors can include any or more than oneof a processor, a microprocessor, a controller, a digital signalprocessor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), afield-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other equivalent discrete orintegrated logic circuitry. System 10 can include other components notexpressly disclosed herein but that are suitable for performing thefunctions of system 10 and associated methods of preprocessing andprocessing video data and other forms of data. For example, system 10can include communication means for pushing/sending configuration file14 from storage media at a location distant from gateway/container 16,such as cloud storage, to gateway/container 16 forexecution/implementation on streaming video data 20.

Camera 12 can be any device capable of collecting streaming video data20, such as a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) camera or a USBcamera. Streaming video data 20 can be video data that is continuouslycaptured/recorded by camera 12 in any suitable format. Camera 12 can bepositioned/located to provide streaming video data 20 displaying entireframe 22 with a first field of view The first field of viewshown/displayed by camera 12 can be a wide field of view that showsmultiple regions of interest. Video data 20 being collected, forexample, can show a wide field of view of a warehouse for storingcommercial products and/or an assembly line producing commercialproducts of which each individual subscriber 26A-26D may only beinterested in a region/scene 24A-24C that is a subset of entire frame22. Camera 12 can collect and transfer streaming video data 20 in anyresolution/video quality and any format, including (but not limited to)MP4, AVI, FLV, WMV, MOV, MPEG, Motion JPEG, AVCHD, WebM, and/or MKV.Camera 12 can transfer/send streaming video data 20 to gateway/container16 over any suitable means, including via the internet, short-rangewireless technology, or any other type of wired and/or wirelessconnection.

Configuration file 14 is an editable file that contains preprocessingparameters that define, among other instructions, how streaming videodata 20 is to be preprocessed by gateway/container 16 to create videodata 21A-21C. Configuration file 14 can include numerous otherinstructions for gateway/container 16, including which camera 12 toconnected to (i.e., receive streaming video data 20 from), what portionof entire frame 22 to select/extract to create scenes 24A-24C (i.e., howto crop frame 22 to create scenes 24A-24C), and at which endpoint 18 topublish the preprocessed scenes 24A-24C. This is discussed in detailwith regards to FIG. 2 . Configuration file 14 can be edited/revised andpushed/conveyed to gateway/container 16 for execution in real time(i.e., runtime) such that an editor can revise the preprocessingparameters and those revisions can be applied to scenes 24A-24C atruntime. Configuration file 14 can be an executable program file or haveanother format for including instructions and conveying information thatis then used by gateway/container 16 to apply the preprocessing to videostreaming data 20. Additionally, configuration file 14 can be stored instorage media adjacent to and/or part of gateway/container 16 or instorage media distant from gateway/container 16, such as in the cloud.Configuration file 14 can be accessible only by one editor or can beaccessible by multiple parties, which may include subscribers 26A-26Dwho can edit the preprocessing parameters defined by/withinconfiguration file 14 to instruct gateway/container 16 to preprocess oneor each of scenes 24A-24C depending on the needs/desires of subscribers26A-26D, respectively.

Gateway/container 16 can include a computer processor capable ofperforming instructions provided by configuration file 14, which caninclude preprocessing parameters that are to be applied to streamingvideo data 20. Gateway/container 16 can be a gateway node, edge device,container, virtual machine, or other software and/or hardware able toaccept configuration file 14 and perform the instructions therein toapply the preprocessing parameters to streaming video data 20. Further,gateway/container 16 can be within a single computer hardware set up dueto virtualization. Gateway/container 16 can include one or multiplestorage media for storing information, such as the preprocessingparameters pushed/sent to gateway/container 16 by/from configurationfile 14 and/or other information like streaming video data 20.Gateway/container 16 can be located at various locations, includingadjacent to camera 12 and/or on the same network as camera 12, distantfrom camera 12 with streaming video data 20 being received bygateway/container 16 from camera 12 via a wired or wireless connection,in the cloud, or at multiple locations. Gateway/container 16 is incommunication with configuration file 14 to accept instructions forapplying preprocessing parameters. Additionally, gateway/container 16may be configured to contact configuration file 14 to determine ifconfiguration file 14 has been edited. If edited, gateway/container 16can perform preprocessing (on streaming video data 20 being received)according to the newly edited configuration file 14.

For clarity, streaming video data 20 is unaltered video data that isreceived by gateway/container 16 from camera 12, whereas first videodata 21A is video data that has been preprocessed by gateway/container16 (according to preprocessing parameters defined in configuration file14) to create scene 24A. Similarly, second video data 21B is video datathat has been preprocessed to create scene 24B, and third video data 21Cis video data that has been preprocessed to create scene 24C. For eachof first, second, and third video data 21A-21C, the originating videodata is streaming video data 20 (which can be converted to raw videodata 20A as described with regards to FIG. 3 below). Each of scenes24A-24C can be a subset of entire frame 22 and show second, third, andfourth fields of view, respectively, that are less than the first fieldof view of entire frame 22. However, other scenes can have the samefield of view as first field of view of entire frame 22 and insteadother editing is performed on that scene besides cropping; for example,that scene can be edited to be in grayscale whereas entire frame 22 ofstreaming video data 20 is in color.

Gateway/container 16 can be in communication with endpoint 18 to whichgateway/container 16 publishes the preprocessed video data 21A-21C(e.g., scenes 24A-24C). The communication can be wired or wireless, suchas communication via the internet. However, endpoint 18 can be at thesame location as gateway/container 16 or on the same computer hardwareset up and/or network. For example, gateway/container 16 can hostendpoint 18 on which gateway/container 16 publishes the preprocessedvideo data/frame 21A-21C (e.g. scenes 24A-24C). Endpoint 18 can behosted by the container to which all the subscribers 26A-26D canconnect. Further, endpoint 18 can be located on the internet with aunique address and/or security protocol that allows for subscription andaccess to scenes 24A, 24B, and 24C. Scenes 24A, 24B, and 24C can bepublished to endpoint 18 using an asynchronous messaging library, forexample ZeroMQ, such that scenes 24A, 24B, and 24C are published astopic 1, topic 2, and topic 3, respectively. Subscribers 26A-26D cansubscribe to any of topics 1-3 to receive video data 21A-21C of scenes24A, 24B, 24C, respectively. Gateway/container 16 can publish video data21A-21C of each of scenes 24A-24C to endpoint 18 in any format suitablefor use by subscribers 26A-26D. For example, video data 21A-21C can eachbe published as Motion JPEG or any of the formats listed above withregards to streaming video data 20. The format that video data 21A-21Cof each of scenes 24A-24C can be designated in configuration file 14 andapplied to video data 21A-21C by gateway/container 16.

Each scene 24A-24C at topics 1-3, respectively, can be subscribed to byany number of subscribers 26A-26D. In the example shown in FIG. 1 ,scene 24A has two subscribers 26A and 26B while scene 24B has onesubscriber 26C and scene 24C has one subscriber 26D. Video data 21A-21Cof each of scenes 24A-24C can be further processed by subscriber26A-26D, respectively, depending on the desired output/inference to bedetermined from video data 21A-21C. For example, first video data 21A ofscene 24A can be further processed by an AI model to determine theamount of a particular product that has passed by camera 12 (in thesecond field of view of scene 24A) on an assembly line. This isdescribed in detail with regards to FIG. 5 .

FIG. 2 is a schematic of configuration file 14. Each “component” ofconfiguration file 14 can be one or a set of instructions that, whenexecuted by gateway/container 16, applies a process/edit. Thus, whilethis disclosure may discuss the components of configuration file 14 asbeing physical, tangible elements, the components can be one or multiplegroups of executable software code contained within configuration file14. Configuration file 14 includes information regarding cameracredentials 28 and preprocessing parameters 30A-30C corresponding toscenes 24A-24C. Preprocessing parameters 30B and 30C can include thesame type of information/parameters as preprocessing parameters 30A.However, for simplicity, the possibilities of information/parametersshown in FIG. 2 with regards to preprocessing parameters 30A are notshown for preprocessing parameters 30B and 30C. However, preprocessingparameters 30B and 30C can be the same or different from each other andfrom preprocessing parameters 30A corresponding to scene 24A.Preprocessing parameters 30A can include topic name/publishing location32, video format 34, accompanying information 36, and preprocessingpipeline 38 having various video edits 38A-380. Video edits 38A-380 caninclude the nonexclusive list of crop 38A, grayscale 38B, contrast 38C,brightness 38D, threshold 38E, resize 38F, blur 38G, hue saturationvalue (HSV) 38H, sharpen 38I, erosion 38J, dilation 38K, Laplacian imageprocessing 38L, Sobel image processing 38M, pyramid up 38N, and pyramiddown 38O.

Configuration file 14 can be edited and pushed/conveyed togateway/container 16 in real time (i.e., runtime) such thatpreprocessing parameters 30A-30C (and the other information contained inconfiguration file 14) can be applied to streaming video data 20immediately to preprocess and output video data 21A-21C. Configurationfile 14 can be stored, edited, and/or pushed/conveyed togateway/container 16 in any suitable format/file type. Configurationfile 14 can include other information/parameters not expressly disclosedherein and not shown in FIG. 2 .

Configuration file 14 can include camera credentials 28, which providesthe information needed for gateway/container 16 to connect to camera 12and/or receive streaming video data 20 from camera 12. Cameracredentials 28 can include other information such asencryption/decryption information, security access information, and/orinstructions for beginning and/or ending the collection of streamingvideo data 20 by camera 12. Camera credentials 28 can includeinformation for connecting to multiple cameras 12 and/or information forgateway/container 16 to receive the same or different streaming videodata 20 from the same or different cameras 12 for different scenes24A-24C. In one example, camera credentials 28 are provided once andapplied to all scenes 24A-24C. In another example, different cameracredentials 28 are provided for each scene 24A-24C and applied to eachof scenes 24A-24C individually. Additionally, system 10 can besituated/configured with multiple cameras that provide multiplestreaming video data 20 that can be utilized to create different scenes24A-24C. For example, scene 24A can be video data 21A derived fromstreaming video data 20 from a first camera, while scenes 24B and 24Ccan be video data 21B and 21C, respectively, derived from differentstreaming video data 20 from a second camera. To accomplish this,configuration file 14 would contain camera credentials 28 for each scene24A-24C (or one camera credential 28 for scene 24A and another,different camera credential 28 for scenes 24B and 24C).

Configuration file 14 also include information specific to each scene24A-24C. This information/instructions are designated as preprocessingparameters 30A, 30B, and 30C, respectively. Preprocessing parameters30A-30C are used by gateway/container 16 (e.g., in the form ofexecutable instructions) and applied to streaming video data 20 tocreate video data 21A-21C of scenes 24A-24C, respectively. Preprocessingparameters 30A-30C can include topic name/publishing location 32, whichdesignates where video data 21A-21C of scenes 24A-24C will be publishedafter preprocessing. As described below with regards togateway/container 16 and FIG. 3 , publishing location 32 can be a proxylocation which is then relayed to unified endpoint 18 to make locatingthe topic/scenes 24A-24C easier for subscribers 26A-26D. Publishinglocation 32 can be any other location suitable for providing access tosubscribers 26A-26D.

Configuration file 14 can designate video format 34 that each of scenes24A-24C is to be published at, which can be the same format as streamingvideo data 20 or any other type of suitable video format, including theformats listed above with regards to streaming video data 20 and/orvideo data 21A-21C. Scenes 24A-24C can be published having the samevideo format 34 or different video formats 34. If the format of thevideo data of scenes 24A-24C is to be changed, the steps of changing thevideo format can be performed before, during, or after any of the otherinstructions/steps set out in preprocessing parameters 30A-30C. Forexample, video format 34 can be changed before, during, or after videoedits 38A-38O are performed by gateway/container 16.

Preprocessing parameters 30A-30C can also include accompanyinginformation 36, which is information provided/published with video data21A-21C for each of scenes 24A-24C. Accompanying information 36 caninclude any information about first video data 21 that may be of use tosubscribers 26A-26C. For example, accompanying information 36 caninclude first video data 21A frame size, which may be helpful inindicating to subscriber 26A what processing should be performed onfirst video data 21A of scene 24A; if the frame size is 720 pixels by486 pixels, first video data 21A of scene 24A may be most suitable forprocessing by an AI model. Accompanying information 36 can includemetadata and/or other information regarding what preprocessing has beenperformed on streaming video data 20 to create video data 21A-21C forscenes 24A-24C, respectively.

Preprocessing parameters 30A-30C can also include preprocessing pipeline38 that includes numerous video edits 38A-38O that can be applied tostreaming video data 20 to create video data 21A-21C for each of scenes24A-24C. Preprocessing pipeline 38 can designate the instructions forthe entire video edits made to streaming video data 20 for each ofscenes 24A-24C. The amount of time gateway/container 16 takes to performthe video edits designated by preprocessing pipeline 38 (i.e., videoedits 38A-38O) for each of scenes 24A-24C can be measured, recorded, anddisplayed as preprocessing performance metrics (see FIG. 4 ). The orderin which video edits 38A-38O are performed can be optimized bygateway/container 16 and/or optimized within configuration file 14 toreduce the amount of time gateway/container 16 takes to performpreprocessing pipeline 38. This optimization can be done manually by aneditor (e.g., the individual with access to edit configuration file 14)or automatically by system 10. For example, depending on which videoedits 38A-38O are to be performed in preprocessing pipeline 38 bygateway/container 16, the order of performance of those video edits38A-38O can be rearranged to reduce the amount of time gateway/container16 takes to perform preprocessing pipeline 38. In one example, crop 38Ais the first video edit 38A-38O to be performed, followed by other videoedits 38B-38O.

Video edits 38A-38O are a nonexclusive list of edits that can bedesignated in configuration file 14 and performed on streaming videodata 20 by gateway/container 16. Preprocessing pipeline 38 can includeother video edits not expressly included in the list of video edits38A-38O. Similarly, not all of video edits 38A-38O need to be performedto create video data 21A-21C of each of scenes 24A-24C, and differentscenes 24A-24C can include different video edits 38A-38O performed onstreaming video data 20 by gateway/container 16. In one example, onlycrop 38A is performed on streaming video data 20 to create first videodata 21A of scene 24A, while a different crop 38A and brightness 38D,resize 38E, and dilation 38K are performed on streaming video data 20 tocreate second video data 21B of scene 24B that is different than firstvideo data 21A of scene 24A.

Each of video edits 38A-38O are briefly described as follows. Crop 38Ais the removal of unnecessary areas/regions (i.e., regions that are notof-interest to the subscriber) of entire frame 22 having first field ofview to create scenes 24A-24C each with second, third, and fourth fieldof views, respectively. Scenes 24A-24C that have been cropped 38A havefields of view that are a subset of (i.e., less than) first field ofview of entire frame 22. Grayscale 38B is the alteration of the color ofvideo data 21A-21C and can include limiting the color to be betweenwhite and black. Contrast 38C is the alteration of the differencebetween the maximum and minimum pixel intensity. Brightness 38D is thealteration in the luminous brightness of video data 21A-21C. Threshold38E is the alteration of the color of video data 21A-21C by changing thecolor of select pixels of video data 21A-21C that are above a specifiedthreshold color value. Resize 38F is the alteration of the frame size ofvideo data 21A-21C without cutting/cropping any of the frame out. Blur38G is the alteration of the clarity of video data 21A-21C, which may bedesired for some processing applications, such as an IA model, performedby subscribers 26A-26D. Hue saturation value (HSV) 38H is assigning anumerical readout of video data 21A-21C that corresponds to the colorcontained therein. Sharpen 38I is altering video data 21A-21C to makethe objects therein appear more defined/sharpened. Erosion 38J isaltering video data 21A-21C by shrinking pixels and/or removing pixelson object boundaries, while dilution 38K is the reverse of erosion inthat video data 21A-21C is enlarged by resizing pixels and/or addingpixels at object boundaries. Laplacian image processing 38L and Sobelimage processing 38M are processing techniques known in the art that canbe applied to video data 21A-21C. Pyramid up 38N and pyramid down 38Oare altering video data 21A-21C by smoothing and/or subsampling as knownin the art. Each of scenes 24A-24C can include these and other videoedits 38A-38O to be applied by gateway/container 16 to preprocessstreaming video data 20 and output as scenes 24A-24C for use bysubscribers 26A-26D.

Configuration file 14 can arrange the instructions of camera credentials28 and preprocessing parameters 30A-30C to be performed in any order, orgateway/container 16 can have the capabilities to arrange/rearrange theinformation/instructions to be performed in a desired/optimizedsequence. Additionally, gateway/container 16 can be configured toperform each set of preprocessing parameters 30A-30C in parallel suchthat preprocessing parameters 30A, preprocessing parameters 30B, andpreprocessing parameters 30C are performed at the same time (and thetime gateway/container 16 takes to perform those preprocessingparameters are measured, recorded, and displayed as metrics). Whilepreprocessing parameters 30A-30C can be performed in parallel with oneanother, preprocessing pipeline 38 (video edits 38A-38O) are performedin series (i.e., in sequence) with one another, with the order thatvideo edits 38A-38O for each scene 24A-24C able to be arranged to reducethe processing time gateway/container 16 takes to perform those videoedits. Configuration file 14 can be edited at any time by an editor andthen pushed/conveyed/accessed by gateway/container 16 at runtime suchthat the preprocessing of video data 21A-21C is altered according to thenewly edited configuration file 14 at runtime.

FIG. 3 is a schematic of gateway/container 16 (hereinafter, “gateway16”) along with inputs to and outputs from gateway 16. Each “component”of gateway 16 (and corresponding inputs and outputs) can be one or a setof instructions, programs, processors, storage media locations, and/orother software or hardware used to select/extract, preprocess, andpublish video data 21A-21C as scenes 24A-24C. Thus, while thisdisclosure may discuss the components of gateway 16 (and correspondinginputs and output) as being physical, tangible elements, the componentscan be partially or entirely contained within software and/or hardware.

Inputs to gateway 16 can be streaming video data 20 (received fromcamera 12) and configuration file 14, which includes camera credentials28 and preprocessing parameters 30A-30C. Outputs from gateway 16 can bescenes 24A-24C to unified endpoint 18 (which can be hosted by thegateway 16), which is the location at which scenes 24A-24C are publishedas topics 1-3, and metrics 40, which is the location at whichpreprocessing pipeline 38 information (i.e., the amount of time gateway16 takes to apply preprocessing parameters 30A-30C to streaming videodata 20 to create scenes 24A-24C) is published/accessible. Gateway 16can include raw video data 20A, which is streaming video data 20 thathas been published at internal topic 42 and to which gateway 16subscribes to receive video data used to create each of scenes 24A-24C.Gateway 16 can include preprocessing pipeline optimization andpreprocessing 44, which uses preprocessing parameters 30A-30C as definedin configuration file 14 to preprocess streaming video data 20 (accessedas raw video data 20A at internal topic 42) to create scenes 24A-24C.Gateway 16 publishes scenes 24A-24C to proxy location 46 at topics 1-3,respectively. Gateway 16 can then publish/relay scenes 24A-24C (havingvideo data 21A-21C) from proxy location 46 to unified endpoint 18 (whichcan be hosted by gateway 16).

Gateway 16 receives streaming video data 20 from camera 12 and canpublish the video data as raw video data 20A at internal topic 42. Thisconfiguration provides for a constant, known location of published rawvideo data 20A independent of where the original streaming video data 20is received from. Thus, if the location where streaming video data 20 isbeing received from changes (e.g., if one camera is disconnected andlater the same camera comes online, or a different camera is connected),raw video 20A will still be accessible at internal topic 42 without theneed to change where gateway 16 is looking for video data to createscenes 24A-24C, thus ensuring a smooth transition of incoming streamingvideo data 20. Raw video data 20A published at internal topic 42 can beconfigured such that only gateway 16 has access.

Gateway 16 can be provided with the information in configuration file 14(i.e., camera credentials 28 and preprocessing parameters 30A-30C) via avariety of avenues. In one example, gateway 16 has location informationof configuration file 14 and actively accesses configuration file 14. Inanother example, configuration file 14 is pushed/conveyed to gateway 16once, periodically, or continuously and gateway 16 passively waits tobegin preprocessing streaming video data 20 until configuration file 14has been received. Another example can be a combination of the two aboveexamples in that gateway 16 actively accesses configuration file 14 atthe beginning of preprocessing (and continues preprocessing followingthose known instructions) and configuration file 14 is pushed/conveyedto gateway 16 only after configuration file 14 has been edited/revised.

Gateway 16 can perform pipeline optimization on preprocessing parameters30A-30C As discussed above, pipeline optimization can be performed bygateway 16 (or another component) to reduce the time gateway 16 takes topreprocess raw video data 20A to create video data 21A-21C (and attachany additional information) of scenes 24A-24C. Pipeline optimization caninclude arranging/rearranging the order in which video edits 38A-38O areperformed by gateway 16.

Gateway 16 can then, according to preprocessing parameters 30A-30Cdefined within configuration file 14, preprocess 44 raw video data 20A(which is derived from and similar to streaming video data 20) to editraw video data 20A to create video data 21A-21C of scenes 24A-24C. Thepreprocessing operations to create each of scenes 24A-24C can beperformed individually and sequentially as specified in pipeline 38 foreach scene, and multiple scenes 24A-24C are processed in parallel (i.e.,simultaneously). The preprocessing performed by gateway 16 can edit eachof scenes 24A-24C to the desires/needs of subscribers 26A-26C,respectively. For example, gateway 16 can preprocess raw video data 20Ato crop a first field of view of entire frame 22 to eliminateareas/regions of the first field of view that are of no interest tosubscriber 26A and keep a second field of view of, for example, scene24A that is a subset of the first field of view. Thus, furtherprocessing by subscriber 26A (or subscriber 26B) does not need to beperformed on the areas (regions not of-interest) eliminated/trimmed bythe cropping performed during preprocessing. In this example, thecropping reduces the processing time and resources needed by subscriber26A. The alteration of video format can be included in the preprocessingand/or can be performed before, during, or after the application ofother preprocessing parameters 30A-30C.

Scenes 24A-24C, which are made up of raw video data 20A that has beenpreprocessed according to configuration file 14 to create video data21A-21C, are published/sent to proxy location 46. Because scenes 24A-24Care continuous video data, scenes 24A-24C are continuously published(e.g., made available) to subscribers 26A-26C, respectively. Scenes24A-24C can be published/sent first to proxy location 46 and thenrelayed to unified endpoint 18. Having scenes 24A-24C first beingpublished/sent to proxy location 46 ensures that, no matter what pathscenes 24A-24C take, video data 21A-21C of scenes 24A-24C will alwaysend up at proxy location 46 and then be relayed to unified endpoint 18.Because scenes 24A-24C always end up at proxy location 46, unifiedendpoint 18 always knows the location to access scenes 24A-24C and canactively look to proxy location 46 to obtain scenes 24A-24C or passivelywait for scenes 24A-24C to be published/sent to unified endpoint 18. Asshown in FIG. 3 , proxy location 46 and/or unified endpoint 18 can belocated in/hosted by gateway 16.

During preprocessing operations to create scenes 24A-24C, the amount oftime gateway 16 takes to apply all of preprocessing parameters 30A-30Cto raw video data 20A to create scenes 24A-24C, respectively, (or theamount of time gateway 16 takes to apply only video edits 38A-38O ofpreprocessing pipeline 38, depending on the desired measurement) ismeasured, recorded, and published at metrics 40 for viewing by an editoror any party with access. Metrics 40 can be published using a frameworklike Prometheus (and then viewable/consumable by other systems, such asGrafana, with an example shown in FIG. 4 ). Alternatively, metrics 40can be published on an asynchronous messaging library like ZeroMQ(similar to the publishing of scenes 24A-24C). FIG. 4 shows a display ofscene preprocessing performance metrics 40A. Metrics 40 can be outputtedfrom gateway 16 to numerous other systems and/or locations, including tothe cloud or another location distant from gateway 16.

As shown in FIG. 4 , scene preprocessing performance metrics 40A show avalue of time for each of scenes 24A-24C. This value of time displayedis the amount of time gateway 16 takes to apply preprocessing parameters30A-30C for each of scenes 24A-24C. Alternatively, this value of timedisplayed can be the amount of time gateway 16 takes to apply only videoedits 38A-38O of preprocessing pipeline 38 and not the entirety ofpreprocessing parameters 30A-30C. This measurement may be desiredbecause the other instructions/information of preprocessing parameters30A-30C (other than video edits 38A-38O) may not change between scenes24A-24C while preprocessing pipeline 38 (the video edits 38A-38O beingapplied) may be drastically different from scene to scene and thus theamount of time for performing preprocessing pipeline 38 may vary greatlyfrom scene to scene.

For example, preprocessing performance metrics 40A in FIG. 4 show anamount of time gateway 16 takes to perform the video edits ofpreprocessing pipeline 38 for scene 24A as 5.2 milliseconds (ms), forscene 24B as 9.4 ms, and for scene 24C as 3.3 ms. In this example, itmay be desirable or necessary to alter preprocessing parameters 30B inconfiguration file 14 (either remove some edit and/or rearrange theorder in which those edits are performed by gateway 16) to reduce theamount of time gateway 16 takes to apply preprocessing pipeline 38 tocreate/alter scene 24B. As discussed above, gateway 16 can have thecapability to optimize the order in which the edits/instructions inpreprocessing parameters 30A-30C and/or preprocessing pipelines 38 areperformed to reduce the amount of time needed to preprocess/apply theedits/instructions. Thus, preprocessing performance metrics 40A as shownin FIG. 4 may be the shortest amount of time gateway 16 takes to performpreprocessing parameters 30A-30C (or preprocessing pipeline 38,depending on the chosen measuring points).

Scenes 24A-24C can be published from proxy location 46 to unifiedendpoint 18 as topics 1-3 using an asynchronous messaging library, suchas ZeroMQ. Unified endpoint 18 allows for a known, constant location towhich subscribers 26A-26C can look to access scenes 24A-24C,respectively. If more scenes are created, those scenes would bepublished and accessible at unified endpoint 18, so subscribers 26A-26Dand/or other subscribers would know where to look to access theadditional scenes. Unified endpoint 18 can be located/hosted by gateway16, as is shown in FIG. 3 .

FIG. 5 is a schematic showing processing 48 capable of being performedon scene 24A by first subscriber 26A. Processing 48 can also beperformed on scenes 24B and 24C or other scenes not disclosed herein.

After being published/sent to endpoint 18, scenes 24A-24C are availableto be subscribed to and accessed by subscribers 26A-26D. Each scene canbe subscribed to by any number of subscribers as is necessary/desirable.For example, a scene may be subscribed to by numerous subscribers eachrunning processing 48 that includes different AI models. In thisexample, one AI model can be determining the amount of a first productthat is passing through the scene on an assembly line, while a second AImodel can be determining the amount of a second product that is passingthrough the scene on the same assembly line. In this case, the scene isunchanged between the two AI models (i.e., between the two subscribers)but the processing performed by each subscriber after the scene has beenpublished is different. It should be noted that one entity (e.g., aperson, company, quality control sector) can subscribe to a scenemultiple times and thus be multiple subscribers. As discussed above, thepreprocessing performed to create/alter each scene can be tailored tothe needs of the subscriber(s) to, for example, reduce processing 48resources and time needed to determine at least one output that isindicative of an inference the subscriber is aiming to ascertain.

The example in FIG. 5 shows first subscriber 26A performing processing48 on scene 24A. Processing 48, as selected and executed by subscriber26A (either automatically and/or manually by a computer processor and/orother hardware and software), can include AI model 48A, opticalcharacter recognition (OCR) 48B, video clipping 48C, further formatting48D, and display 48E of the video data of scene 24A. Processing 48 caninclude other instructions/edits not expressly disclosed in FIG. 5 andlisted above.

The disclosed potential instructions/edits that subscriber 26A canperform in processing 48 are as follows. AI model 48A can be aprogram/model that may have machine learning and can use scene 24A todetermine at least one output indicative of an inference dependent uponscene 24A. The inference, for example, can be the amount of a specificproduct that is viewable in scene 24A over a defined period of time. AImodel 48A can also be, for example, a program/model that determines howmany people appear in scene 24A over a defined period of time. AI model48A can include other capabilities and/or configurations. OCR 48B can bea program (or other configuration) that recognizes and records anycharacters (i.e., text) that appear in scene 24A. For example, scene 24Acan be video data of a street and OCR 48B will recognize and record anytext that appears on the side of a vehicle, such as a delivery truck,that is in scene 24A. Video clipping 48C can clip the video data shownin scene 24A to create a clip of a defined period of time, and/or videoclipping 48C can clip the video data shown in scene 24A to create astatic image of a defined moment in time. Further formatting 48D can bevideo edits, such as video edits 38A-38O in configuration file 14, orany other video or file formatting that are performed by subscriber 26A.For example, further formatting 48D can include cropping scene 24A to bea subset of the second field of view shown in scene 24A. Display 48E canbe making scene 24A viewable on a screen or other visual display.Display 48E can also include any video formatting/reconfiguring that isnecessary to effectuate the display of scene 24A. While video edits38A-38O and further formatting 48D to create and/or process video data21A-21C have included only edits to the video/image, edits can includeediting the audio or other aspects of the video data.

The potential instructions/edits (i.e., processing 48) can be performedin parallel or series. Further, processing 48 can be configured suchthat instructions/edits 48A-48E work together such that oneinstruction/edit is prompted by an inference from anotherinstruction/edit. For example, video clipping 48C can be configured towork in tandem with another edit/process; if AI model 48A determinesthat a product is defective, video clipping 48C can be prompted torecord and clip a particular duration (or moment to create a staticimage) of scene 24A showing the defective product and save the clip (orimage) for proof/validation.

System 10, with associated methods, for selection/extraction,preprocessing, and publishing of streaming video data 20 into scenes24A-24C and for processing scenes 24A-24C is used to determine at leastone output that is indicative of an inference dependent upon video data21A-21C. System 10 reduces the preprocessing/processing time andresources necessary for accomplishing the desired output/determining theselected inference. System 10 allows for a streamlined process thatextends from collecting streaming video data 20 from camera 12 to makingpreprocessing scenes 24A-24C available to subscribers 26A-26C forfurther processing and analysis/determinations. System 10 also allowsfor measurement, recordation, and viewing of preprocessing performancemetrics 40 and optimization of preprocessing pipeline 38 (and/orpreprocessing parameters 30A-30C) to reduce the amount of time andresources needed to apply preprocessing parameters 30A-30C to streamingvideo data 20 (i.e., raw video data 20A) to create video data 21A-21C ofscenes 24A-24C.

While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplaryembodiment(s), it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted forelements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. Inaddition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situationor material to the teachings of the invention without departing from theessential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the inventionnot be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed, but that theinvention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of theappended claims.

1. A method of preprocessing incoming video data of at least one regionof interest having a first field of view, the method comprising:preprocessing the incoming video data, by a computer processor,according to first preprocessing parameters, wherein the preprocessingincludes formatting the incoming video data to create first video dataof a first region of interest with a second field of view that is lessthan the first field of view and to create accompanying informationregarding a size of the second field of view; and providing access ofthe first video data and the accompanying information to a firstsubscriber.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providingaccess to the first subscriber further comprises: publishing theaccompanying information and the first video data to an endpoint toallow access by the first subscriber.
 3. The method of claim 2, furthercomprising: subscribing to the endpoint by the first subscriber toaccess the first video data and the accompanying information.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the accompanying information is included inmetadata of the first video data.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst preprocessing parameters that format the incoming video data tocreate first video data is dependent upon subsequent processing to beperformed on the first video data by the first subscriber.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein the accompanying information also includesinformation regarding a location of the second field of view within thefirst field of view.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstpreprocessing parameters are defined within a first runtimeconfiguration file.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:providing access to the first preprocessing parameters defined withinthe first runtime configuration file to the first subscriber.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the preprocessing parameters are modifiableat runtime such that subsequently created first video data andsubsequently created accompanying information reflect changeseffectuated by the preprocessing according to the modified preprocessingparameters.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the modifications to thefirst preprocessing parameters are dependent upon subsequent processingto be performed on the first video data by the first subscriber.
 11. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: preprocessing the incoming videodata, by the computer processor, according to second preprocessingparameters, wherein the preprocessing includes formatting the incomingvideo data to create second video data of a second region of interestwith a third field of view that is different from the second field ofview; and providing access of the second video data to a secondsubscriber.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of providingaccess to the second subscriber further comprises: publishing the secondvideo data to the endpoint to allow access by the second subscriber. 13.The method of claim 11, wherein the second preprocessing parameters aredefined within the first runtime configuration file.
 14. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the second preprocessing parameters are defined withina second runtime configuration file that is distinct from the firstruntime configuration file.
 15. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising: providing access to the second preprocessing parametersdefined within the second runtime configuration file to the secondsubscriber.
 16. A system for preprocessing incoming video data of atleast one region of interest having a first field of view, the systemcomprising: preprocessing parameters for formatting the incoming videodata; a computer processor that is configured to receive the incomingvideo data and preprocess the incoming video data according to thepreprocessing parameters, wherein the preprocessing of the incomingvideo data by the computer processor creates first video data of a firstregion of interest with a second field of view that is less than thefirst field of view and creates accompanying information regarding asize of the second field of view; and an endpoint to which the firstvideo data and the accompanying information is provided to allow accessby a first subscriber.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein thepreprocessing parameters are modifiable at runtime such thatsubsequently created first video data and subsequently createdaccompanying information reflect changes effectuated by thepreprocessing according to the modified preprocessing parameters. 18.The system of claim 16, wherein the accompanying information is includedin metadata of the first video data.
 19. The system of claim 16, whereinthe preprocessing parameters that format the incoming video data tocreate the first video data and the accompanying information isdependent upon subsequent processing to be performed on the first videodata by the first subscriber.
 20. The system of claim 16, wherein theaccompanying information includes information regarding a location ofthe second field of view within the first field of view.